Federer storms back from abyss to triumph
KEY BISCAYNE, Fla. -- Living up to the meteorological force of the same name, "El Nino" -- teenager Rafael Nadal -- huffed and puffed and nearly blew the boss, Roger Federer, off his spectacular winning course.
The resourceful and strong-willed Federer somehow found a life preserver in his satchel. Though he was at sea for two hours on an island court beside the Atlantic, with 13,221 sun-splattered witnesses at Crandon Park (and a worldwide TV audience) smelling a huge upset, Federer hung in until the kid's tempest subsided. Two points from defeat at four junctures of the third set, the game's No. 1 tennis player kept his head barely above water, then closed in a rush to win the Nasdaq-100 Open, 2-6, 6-7 (4-7), 7-6 (7-5), 6-3, 6-1.
"I've hardly ever come back in a situation like that. It was a big moment for me," said Federer, who stretched his winning streak to 22 matches (48 of the last 49) and his consecutive final-round successes to 18 (dating to July 2003). He had been 7-8 in five-set matches in his career, and revived from 0-2 only twice.
"El Nino," an 18-year-old Spaniard from Mallorca, was himself streaking -- 15 straight wins and two titles. His torrid lefthanded blasts, swirling with heavy topspin, seemed cyclonic as he staggered the brilliant Swiss. It was practically a natural disaster for Federer as the gales from Nadal's racket wafted him into the depths. After two hours of the 3-hour-43-minute struggle, he trailed by two sets and 1-4 in the third.
"It was uphill. I was trying to force him too much, but I got myself to relax," Federer said. "I thought I'd be all right if I could get him into a fifth set."
Doing that wasn't easy because Federer was in-and-out in his shotmaking, from heavenly to hackerly, as he chalked up 74 unforced errors to Nadal's 54. But he also topped the kid in winners, 51-32.
One of the champ's goofs, a botched overhead as Nadal advanced to 5-4 in the third, caused the customarily placid Federer to pitch his racket. He heard boos from the crowd that had been urging a recovery by chanting his name.
"Why? Because I was very happy. That's why I threw my racket into the stands" -- a prize for some fan after he'd won. "Oh, you mean the first time?" he laughed at his offense. "I was disappointed, angry. I'd missed so many opportunities."
In the next game, holding to 5-5, Federer was pinched at 30-all, two points from the showers, but dodged with an ace and a winner.
Still, Nadal had the upper hand as they reached their second tiebreaker, in which -- at 5-3 -- he was oh-so-close.
It was during this critical overtime that Federer's deadly forehand came into tune, and became the saving stroke. He banged two winners to knot the breaker at 5-5. A big serve set up a smash, taking him to set point. Then he forced Nadal to miss a backhand in an exciting rally of 17 strokes.
Nadal, hero of Spain's conquest of the US in the Davis Cup final in December by taking Andy Roddick apart on opening day, gave much of the same mistreatment to Federer for a long, sensational stretch. His crosscourt backhands and inside-out forehands had Federer groping. The kid's speed robbed points that seemed Federer's. A superlative hustler, he even bellyflopped on the court, giving up on nothing.
"I am happy for my tennis, playing good," said the 6-footer. "I won two sets to love, 4-1. Then 4-3. At 3-4, he's serving, it's 0-30. He hits a forehand out, but referee say good. [The TV replay backed up his claim.] Important point. At 5-3 in the tiebreak, he play a forehand on the line. But he is No. 1, no?"
The kid admitted he tired physically and mentally in the fourth and fifth sets.
"I had the feeling he wasn't hitting the ball as hard anymore," said Federer, who concluded on a six-game roll. Nevertheless, fiery infighting continued. It wasn't until the 3:30 mark that Federer was at last ahead. A ripping forehand gained the break to 2-1, and the rest was Roger.
"El Nino" was no longer fearsome, but he had been a massive storm, arriving on the Key at No. 31, departing as No. 17, a likely catastrophe for those getting in his way on the dirt patches of Europe.
"I don't even want to think about him in the future," said Federer, wincing.
